Kamel Robert Hassan, 89, passed away on January 22, 2026, after a brief stay at the Hospice at the Fisher Home in Amherst, MA.

A lifelong resident of Amherst, Bob attended Williston Academy in Easthampton, MA and was a proud 1958 graduate of The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, as evidenced by the vast amount of purple and white clothing he accumulated, wore, and gave as gifts for most of his life. After graduation, Bob spent a year on active duty in the United States Army Reserve.

Most of Bob’s working career, over 50 years, was spent as the owner-manager of Kamel Hassan’s Barn in Amherst. Bob gradually took the business over from his parents, Kamel and Margaret Hassan.

During his decades of running the store, Bob worked with Jamie Mullins of Amherst and had a close, nurturing relationship with Jamie and his sister, Amy. Bob planned for Jamie to take over the business when Bob retired. Jamie died unexpectedly in 2009 and the time after his passing was a difficult period in Bob’s life.

Bob enjoyed golf and was president of the Amherst Golf Club in 1975 and 1976. He enjoyed music, mostly the jazz of his youth. Among his favorite musicians were Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, and Eddie Condon. Bob liked to travel and favorite destinations were Cape Cod, Las Vegas, and Dataw, South Carolina. For the last ten years of his life, Bob spent most of his time in Newport, Vermont and enjoyed the natural beauty offered by the shores of Lake Memphremagog and the surrounding area.

Bob is survived by his sister Margaret of Richmond, VA and his brother Michael of Sarasota, FL. Bob also leaves behind many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews, and close friends, too many to list here. He will live on in their hearts as well as in those of all who knew him.

A “Celebration of Life” event will be held at the Amherst Golf Club at 2:00 pm on May 9, 2026.

Edward Halsey Foster, poet, publisher, and scholar, died peacefully on January 12, 2026, in the company of his family at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, NY. He was 83.

Foster was born December 12, 1942 in Northampton, MA. The son of Edward Clark Foster and Edith Derosia Foster, he spent his early years in Williamsburg, MA, and attended Williston Academy, graduating in 1961. Eager to move to New York City and experience the literary scene of the 1960s, he attended Columbia University, receiving his BA in 1965 and his PhD in American Studies in 1970. While still in graduate school, Foster began teaching at Stevens Institute of Technology where he achieved the rank of full professor and taught for more than 50 years. While at Stevens, Foster served as Dean and created the College of Arts and Sciences.

With grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and NJ State Council on the Arts, he established a multiyear Festival of NJ Poets, welcoming Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, and John Ciardi among others.

He was a Fulbright professor at Haceteppe University in Ankara in 1978-79 and Istanbul University in 1985-86 and later a visiting lecturer at Beykent University, all in Turkey. He also pioneered faculty exchanges with universities in Turkey and Russia, and lectured widely on American Studies and poetry at universities around the world.

Foster authored more than 40 volumes of poetry and criticism. Eventually his passion for poetry led him to create Talisman: A Journal of Contemporary Poetry and Poetics. The journal ran from 1988 to 2014 in print and then continued online. Initially each issue was devoted to a single poet; Alice Notley was the first. Later volumes were more wide-ranging and inclusive, but always with the goal that each “poet could be read free of any single poetic tradition.”

He went on to found Talisman House Publishers, which published anthologies, poetry, criticism and selected works by various authors reflecting movements such as New York School, Beats, Black Mountain, San Francisco Renaissance, and Boston Occult, among others. Gay writers and international literature were also featured. Poets including William Bronk, Simon Pettet, Gustaf Sobin, Burt Kimmelman, Elinor Nauen, Joseph Donahue and Timothy Liu graced the covers. Foster was widely considered to be one of the most important independent publishers of avant-garde poetry.

On retirement from academia, Ed moved to Northfield, MA, where he enjoyed hiking, gardening, and hosting poets and artists at literary weekends. He founded the Pioneer Valley Poetry Project with a group of friends, organizing readings and continuing his commitment to contemporary poetry and poetics. Ed enjoyed international travel throughout his life, including trips to Iceland, Norway, and Sweden with his children and grandchildren, and many trips to Turkey with family and friends.

Foster is survived by his brother, Roy Foster of Fort Lauderdale, FL; his former wife, Elaine Dunphy Foster of Jersey City, NJ; his daughter, Katherine Hearn Foster, of NYC; his son, John Clark Foster (Johanna Hagelthorn) of Saugerties, NY; grandchildren Sophia (Taylor Foster) of Jersey City, NJ, Irene of Washington, D.C., Ian of Saugerties, NY.

A private service is planned for the family.

Memorial contributions can be made to The Nature Conservancy, The Poetry Project, or Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Edward F. Pytka Jr., 71, of Charlestown, Rhode Island, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 2, 2024.

Born on July 15, 1953, in Palmer, Ed grew up in Three Rivers, Massachusetts. He was the beloved son of the late Edward and Catherine (Sullivan) Pytka and shared a special bond with his sister, Ellen-Louise Pytka.

A proud member of Williston Academy Class of 1971, Ed excelled as an athlete in football and hockey and maintained a lifelong connection with his alumni community. He went on to attend Northeastern University and graduated from Western New England University in 1976, embarking on a distinguished career in finance.

Ed held prominent leadership roles throughout his illustrious career, including serving as CFO of Timex and Executive VP of Li & Fung. His professional journey led him to Simsbury, Connecticut, where he and his family created a home filled with love, laughter, and cherished memories.

Ed was known for his humor, warmth, and love for life. He cherished summers on Cape Cod, where he worked as a lifeguard and developed a lifelong love for the beach. An avid gardener, he found joy in cultivating plants and approached golf with enthusiasm and camaraderie, regardless of his skill level.

He was a devoted husband to his late wife, Susan Grandy Pytka, and a loving father and grandfather. He is survived by his children and their families: Sarah (Ryan) Percival of Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and their children Carson, Wesley, and Chase. Zachary (Anne) Pytka of North Stonington, Connecticut, and their children Sawyer and Bodie.Catherine (Kenny) Holtz of Big Sky, Montana, and their children Finley, Susan, and Hadley.

Above all, Ed was a loyal friend, a loving father, and proud grandfather. Ed will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by his family, friends, and all who were fortunate to share in his remarkable journey.

A celebration of Ed’s life will be held at a later date.

Charles A. Krohn, 88, died on January 8th, 2026 in Panama City Beach, Florida. The cause of death was cancer. He authored many articles about defense matters and wrote an acclaimed book about his experiences during the Vietnam War.

Mr. Krohn was born in Saginaw, Michigan on March 3, 1937, the fourth son of Raymond and Henrietta Krohn. Now in a state of urban decay, Saginaw boomed during the lumbering era of the late 1800s, and then received another boost when it became a manufacturing center, corresponding with the rise of the automobile industry in Michigan. The manufacturing boom of World War II survived until the early 1960s leaving behind an era of prosperity and optimism. The family owned and operated department stores.

Mr. Krohn was raised in Saginaw, leaving in 1953 to attend Williston Academy in Easthampton, Massachusetts. He was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1959, followed by a brief stint at Stanford Law School.

From his early days, Mr. Krohn showed a knack for things military, even posting map pins reflecting the location of his oldest brother Jim, then an Army sergeant serving in Europe during World War II. During the Korean War Mr. Krohn sent food parcels overseas to soldiers at the front, many who responded with letters of appreciation, often at the basic level of literacy. These letters were saved among his most important papers.

Mr. Krohn served two years in the Army, 1961-63, fulfilling an ROTC obligation. Most of this time was spent in South Korea, where he commanded a small advisory detachment at an isolated site near Uijongbu, now a suburb of Seoul. He often said this was the most maturing experience of his life.

Still hoping to find a career as a military writer, after leaving the Army he worked for the Flint (MI) Journal and United Press International in Chicago. Disappointed that UPI was slow to send him to Vietnam as a reporter, he accepted an invitation in 1967 to return to the Army as the public affairs officer of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). After eight months he was unexpectedly invited to become the intelligence officer of an infantry battalion. His experiences with the infantry led to a book about the battalion’s exploits during Tet ’68.

The first version of the book, The Lost Battalion, was published to wide acclaim by Praeger in 1993, followed by an updated version published by the Naval Institute Press in 2008. A third version was published in 2009 by Simon & Schuster.

Being surrounded and escaping from a North Vietnam Army regiment influenced his decision to stay in the Army. Until his death, Mr. Krohn stayed bonded with those who shared his experiences in Vietnam.

Before returning to Vietnam in 1970 for a second tour, he married Jeannie (nee McLendon) whom he met at Fort Benning, Georgia while attending the Infantry Officers Advance Course. After Vietnam he served in various assignments in Germany and the United States, until his retirement as a lieutenant colonel in 1984.

Mr. Krohn’s career suffered an apparent setback when he was relieved of his responsibilities in the Pentagon in 1980 for transmitting to Army newspapers worldwide a medical article about circumcision, then considered a “taboo” word, at least in the view of his superior. Somewhat dejected, he was offered a position as speechwriter to the Army’s deputy chief of staff for personnel, the legendary General Max Thurman, father of the “Be All You Can Be” campaign. Instead of stepping back one step, his career took a giant leap forward.

His last active duty assignment was special assistant to the late General Richard G. Stilwell, then deputy undersecretary of defense for policy. After their respective retirements, the two operated a business together. General Stilwell was closely connected to President Reagan, CIA director Casey and Defense Secretary Weinberger.

During the last few years of his post-Army life, Mr. Krohn was a defense consultant and wrote often on military affairs for various publications. When George W. Bush was elected President in 2000, he named Thomas E. White as Army Secretary. Mr. White invited Mr. Krohn to return to the Army as the deputy chief of public affairs. But when Mr. White was fired by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Mr. Krohn realized he faced a dim future in the Pentagon. He volunteered to serve in Baghdad for a few months, at age 67 perhaps the oldest person then serving in the Green Zone.

After resigning his Army position, Mr. Krohn was invited by the University of Michigan to return to Ann Arbor as a visiting professor of journalism. After teaching for two semesters, he returned to the Washington, DC area and accepted a position with the American Battle Monuments Commission as deputy director for public affairs. His mission was to encourage more Americans to visit the nation’s 24 overseas military cemeteries.

Krohn often described himself as a cat fancier, smoker of fine cigars and consumer of good whiskey. His favorite hobby was reading history and watching Mrs. Krohn garden. He wished to be remembered, not as a retired soldier, but as a proponent of a strong national defense. While not rising to the highest echelons of responsibility, Mr. Krohn enjoyed the respect of his family and peers.

Mr. Krohn is survived by his wife; four sons, Cyrus, Joshua, and twins Clay and Alex; a daughter-in-law, Jennifer Krohn; a partner, Jennifer Martindale and son Zander; five grandsons, Maxwell, Oliver, Tristan, Sawyer, and Holden; and a granddaughter, Marjorie.

Robert J. Samuelson, an economics columnist for Newsweek and The Washington Post died on Saturday, December 13, 2025, in Bethesda, Md. He was 79.

His death, in a hospital, was caused by complications of Parkinson’s disease, his daughter, Ruth Samuelson, said.

Mr. Samuelson married Judy Herr in 1983. In addition to his wife and daughter, Ruth, he is survived by two sons, Michael and John; a brother, Richard; and two grandchildren.

To read Mr. Samuelson’s complete obituary, please visit the New York Times.